Zinister (1198), Houston, Texas, USA Jul 9, 2007 Dark and cloudy brownish color with thick initial head that turns into a thinner tan head. Belgian nose with orange cream and sweet malt...very nice. Creamy full bodied mouth feel. Spicy sweet malts...and a bit of an alcohol kick up front. Molasses, spicy herbs, medium dark fruits...and plenty of hops...more on the finish than anywhere else. Peppery finish as well. Very tasty. Pigfoot (2226), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Jul 9, 2007 Dark brown body, no, more like mahogany with a tint of crimson coming in....clear at foot, ...fluffy, cocoa-toned head.
Aroma: SWEET-ness!...chocolate, spice, mollases, nuts, brown sugar, lovely, and utterly malt-alicious...now to taste ’er!
More of the same, now dancing on the tongue...sweet, plump, chocolate chip’n’raisin-y goodness, caramel chewiness, blasts of black pepper, lush molasses, dark rum & anise
Long lasting finish, full bodied, and very special...happy 14th, guys! stegosaurus (1882), Levittown, Pennsylvania, USA Jul 8, 2007 Bottle from Capones sampled with Mad indian. Pours dark with a small beige head. Aroma of fruit, roast, spices, alcohol, and hops. The flavor is smooth, spices, fruit, roast, some chocolate, and grassy hop finish. Skyview (3947), Papoose Jct., Minnesota, USA Jul 8, 2007 Picked up 22-oz bottle from Cellar’s Wine & Spirits in St Paul, MN. Pours a clear dark brown brew with a thick, creamy tan head. Aroma of roasted nuts, cotton candy, chocolate and tart/dark pitted fruit. Taste is slightly tart with chocolate, caramel and flowery hop flavors. Palate is medium bodied, smooth and almost a barleywine character beverage. Nice aftertaste of ripe citrus and vanilla. RollinHard (748), Fort Worth, Texas, USA Jul 8, 2007 Updated: Jul 23, 2007Pours a dark ruby brown with a tan head. Strong aroma of extremely spicy hop character. Very peppery, some pine, ginger, and a molasses malt behind that. The flavor is equally interesting and confounding in its contrast of chocolate and maple syrup verses a spicy piny hop flavor that tastes as if the hops were boiled with some blackening seasoning first. Finishes with a hoppy tang, and still more spiciness but the malt flavors linger equally. Thick and creamy mouthfeel. I gotta say, this beer is confusing to me. I tried a sample of this at the brewery, and I couldn’t believe that extra spices weren’t added. I guess the dry-hopping is just that strong? It’s good enough that I’m gonna try it a few more times. Perhaps given time, the malt and hop flavors won’ taste so unrelated.
Upon having a much larger glass than just a sample size, I find the malt flavor much more appealing in its chocolate, earthy and slightly peanutty flavors. The super-spicy hop character that I experienced before (especially on tap, wow) becomes a team player overtime with the chocolate and molasses. The heat is quite high, but tolerable. I wish the texture had even more creaminess than what is already there. Oh well. Very interesting stuff though, worth investigating multiple times. wetherel (1565), Encinitas, California, USA Jul 7, 2007 $5 pint at Pizza Port Carlsbad. One finger head that dies to a dense creamy blanket over the deep dark opaque reddish brown liquid. Alchohol nose is strong, a bit phenolic. Taste of raisins, brown sugar, which covers the mild hop bitterness. A bit too heavy for me, I hate to say, but maybe with cheese it would be much easier to swallow. scraff (1920), Baltimore, Maryland, USA Jul 7, 2007 Draft @ NYC Gingerman - Deep reddish brown, creamy tan head (great lacing). The aromas were complex with notes of melon, chocolate mint, and brown sugar. Further warming brought soft co-mingled notes of pine, florals, and candied dark fruits. Toasty flavors of caramel, melon, fig, and raisin balance on a piney hop wave. Full bodied, soft carbonation, bittersweet finish. Love to see creative brewing, and this one certainly hits that mark. Nicely done. Happy 14th Avery! Cobra (1060), In a van, down by the river, Maryland, USA Jul 7, 2007 22 oz. brown, bomber bottle. 2007 batch. Poured out a deep ruby color, with an overflowing mocha colored head. Huge, sticky, very lacy head on it. Aromas are of cocoa powder right off the bat, along with subtle alcohols, dark rum, subtle hop aromas.
Flavors are of dark rum, sweet malts, hops, burnt sugar, toffee. Sharp finish to it. Slight chocolate wheat flavor in the mix. Medium mouthfeel, rich & thick body. Good beer overall.
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